Fate Wrapped Around Our Little Fingers
by cup-of-sleuth
Summary: The red string of fate that ties two destined lovers together by an unbreakable thread is attached to their pinky fingers. When Ochako meets a fortune teller who's quirk is that she can see the ribbon that binds soulmates, she becomes convinced the oracle has to be a fake. After all, in what universe could she ever fall for Katsuki Bakugo? [KACCHAKO TWO-SHOT]
1. Part One

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia._

* * *

 _"I didn't mean to fall in love_  
 _Took one hit and I was gone"_

 _\- Small Doses, Bebe Rexha_

It seemed like a good idea at first. A couple people from class 1-A decided to go check out this supposed matchmaking fortune teller. The claim was that she had a quirk that could tell you who your soulmate was. Realistically this made absolutely no sense, quirks didn't work like that did they? I mean, sure, she could make things float if she touched them, and there was a guy who could literally control your mind if you answered his question, but soulmate tracker? It seemed fishy. But Ochako and a few others couldn't help but be drawn to the idea.

So, now there stood Ochako along with Ashido, Yaoyorozu, Kaminari, Hagakure, and Deku all in front of a small shop with neon lights advertising _"matchmaker" "find your soulmate" "palm reading"_ and various other taglines associated with modern day fortune tellers, with colorful blackout curtains hung up to hide whatever lay beyond those windows.

"I'm surprised you're here, Deku. I didn't think you were interested in this kind of stuff." Ochako asked him curiously.

"Well, if her quirk is for real, I'd want to ask her a few questions. I know it's probably not a quirk that would have much use in battle, but maybe there are other quirks like it. It could be useful to know about." Of course. Leave it to Deku to turn this into a research session.

"I think she'd want to keep that a secret, y'know, fortune tellers don't really like their techniques getting out." Ashido commented, chuckling nervously.

"Well, she does advertise it as a quirk. So there's not much secret to it is there?" Countered Yaoyorozu.

Kaminari grinned, nudging Momo's side. "Who's the crush that's got you here?"

"E-excuse me?" She faltered, Ochako noticed a faint blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Everyone knows she's got it bad for Todoroki! Come on guys let's stop stalling and go inside!" Ashido interrupted, pushing a flushed Yaoyorozu through the glass pane door. Everyone followed.

Inside it looked...an awful lot like a waiting room at the dentist. "This… isn't really what I was expecting." Mina said, looking around. "It's a lot less-"

"Mystical?" Finished Hagakure.

"Yeah."

On the far wall was even a little window, like the one where a receptionist in the dentist office would sit to check you in for your appointment. It occurred to Ochako this might actually have been a dentist's office prior to the fortune teller moving to town. Just then, the frosted glass pane in the window slid open to reveal a young woman. "Do you have an appointment?"

"You guys are sure this isn't just a dentist's office right?" Kaminari asked, apparently they'd all been picturing the same thing.

"Um, do we need appointments to get our fortune told?" Ashido stepped forward. It made sense, she'd been the main reason they all found out about this place, so she was essentially the leader in this situation.

The woman looked at the crowd of students in her office. "Not necessarily, but someone did call to make an appointment, so I was curious if it was one of you seven."

"No it's not one of- wait, seven?" Mina turned around to look at her friends.

That was when they all noticed someone in their group that they were all pretty sure hadn't been there before. Not to mention, why the hell would he have tagged along too? Bakugo stood in the corner of the room, hands in his pockets, surprisingly quiet.

"Kacchan?" Deku was the first to acknowledge the surprise boy's presence. "What are you doing here?"

"Someone had to point out how dumb you losers are for doing this bullshit."

"Ohhhhh." All six of the other students nodded in unison. That made sense, leave it to Bakugo to tag along for something he'd find stupid just to make fun of the people taking it serious.

"I take it my appointment is a no show then. Well, walk-ins are welcome too, and fortunately-" She stopped, covering her mouth to hide a laugh. Was that supposed to be a pun? "-there are no other clients tonight. So I'll take whoever wants to go first into the back."

And at that moment, there were no takers. Even Ashido suddenly seemed reluctant to go back. Finally Deku came forward. "I...I'm not really here to get my fortune told, I just want to ask about the fortune teller's quirk."

The young woman grinned. "Well we used to be called psychics back before quirks were a thing, but sure I'd be happy to tell you all about how my quirk works. It's not like there's any illusion that's going to fall apart if I do."

"Wait you're the fortune teller, psychic, whatchamacallit?" Kaminari blanked.

"What did you think I was just a receptionist? Haha, no I understand. That's a joke I like to play on the clients." How was that a joke? "It's not a really good joke, but it's fun to play on kids like you." She closed the glass window, and a moment later she stepped through a door to stand in the waiting room with the rest of them. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

"How does… your quirk work for one? It doesn't really make a lot of sense." Momo beat Deku to the punch. They were all pretty curious about it, honestly.

"Hmmm, well you know that there are only three types of quirks, emitter, transformation, and mutation. Mine is classified as an emitter quirk. You've heard the folktale about the red thread of fate right?" As she spoke, she leaned up against a chair, crossing her arms.

"Of course! It's so romantic to think that you're tied to your soulmate by an unbreakable thread!" Hagakure swooned. Even invisible, Ochako could tell the girl was probably blushing cutely.

"Well, my quirk allows me to see the thread that binds people together. It works a lot like palm reading, but I can only see it if you know that person already."

"Ohhh, gotcha." Ashido said with realization. "In that case, I'll go first!"

"But I wasn't done asking-" Deku didn't get a chance to finish, Mina and the woman had already disappeared into the back. Thus, everyone left behind ended up sitting down in the chairs set up around the room.

Minutes passed, and finally Ashido emerged. "She's ready for whoever wants to go next…" She looked a little bummed. Ochako guessed that she probably couldn't see Mina's soulmate.

"Don't worry, you'll find him!" Ochako comforted, given that Mina didn't deny it, she obviously guessed right. "At least you weren't matched with Mineta!" Ochako added softly.

"Oh, god, you're right."

Next went Kaminari, it was almost surprising when he decided to go with their group, but he did have a tendency to flirt with the other girls. He also came back with a negative response. Ochako was starting to think it was extremely unlikely that any of them would have even met their soulmate already. She glanced at Deku. He was her reason for being here. Even though she had put her feelings for him on the back burner for their hero training, she still couldn't help but be curious to see if these feelings were even worth having. Yaoyorozu went next. She came back shortly after, blushing profusely.

"How'd it go?" Ashido asked curiously.

"A-Apparently I have met my soulmate…" She answered, staring at her feet. "And no. I'm not telling who."

"Darn it!" Ashido groaned, flopping back down into her chair. Ochako could tell from the grin that Momo was trying to hide that it wasn't exactly an unpleasant answer.

"I'm gonna go next if that's okay with you Ochako!" Announced Hagakure, who seemed eager to have her turn. It made sense why she was here, Toru was a girly person, and what was more girly than getting your fortune told to find out your soulmate?

"Go ahead!" Ochako smiled. That meant she would be last. That's fine, not like going first or last made any real difference in this situation, right? It was probably all fake anyways, she reasoned with herself. Still, if Momo got a desirable answer could that mean something? Mina and Denki got no answer though, so maybe she was just guessing who your crush was and telling you THAT was your soulmate. She wouldn't know until she got in there.

"Your turn Ochako!" Toru announced happily.

"Sounds like she found your soulmate too." Mina huffed, looking annoyed until Hagakure spoke again.

"Nope! But I won't let it get me down, it just means he's waiting for me somewhere out there~!"

"Are you gonna go Uraraka?" Deku asked. Apparently she'd just been sitting there, too nervous to move.

"Y-yeah! Just, hyping myself up!"

"The fuck is there to hype up? Just go in there and get it over with. You can't be scared of a fake fortune." Piped in a grouchy Bakugo.

She hated to agree with him, but really it was nothing to be scared of! "I'll be back, guys!" She said, before walking through the door.

She walked down a hallway and into another room, that was cheesily decorated like an Arabian tent. The fortune teller sat down at a small round table, with another chair opposite her. Ochako figured that was where she was supposed to sit. As soon as her butt hit the seat, the fortune teller spoke.

"Hold out your hands."

"O-okay!" She placed her hands on the table, watching the woman intently as she took her hands, tracing her thumb over her pinky finger. The motion made her spine shiver.

The fortune teller chuckled.

"W-what's so funny?"

"I was just thinking you've got an interesting match." The fortune teller said with an amused grin.

"Y-you mean I've met my soulmate!?" Ochako nearly hopped out of her seat. All at once her doubt flooded from her mind. She was invested in whatever the woman had to say.

"Met him? Oh sweetheart you've been sitting in the same room with him since you got here."

Was it Deku? It had to be Deku. Ochako leaned forward, waiting for a name, a description, anything.

"Although even I have to say I never would have matched you with him at first glance. Maybe the brash young man in the waiting room is softer than he looks."

Wait. What.

Brash young man..? Who could- "W-wait you can't be talking about Bakugo…"

"Bakugo?" The woman's eyes widened with realization, as if she'd heard that name before. Of course she probably had, he'd been on the news a lot after all. "I see. That makes sense now."

"W-what makes sense? Definitely not me and Bakugo! We're… he's… it's impossible! I mean, maybe I could be friends with him, but, but-"

"We don't always get the answers we're looking for, hun. That doesn't make them wrong though." The fortune teller said wisely, letting go of Ochako's hands. "It just means we have to overcome our challenges."

"Yeah but he's- well- a jerk!" She said it bluntly. Sure he had good parts about him, but otherwise he was just too much a bully sometimes. On the off chance they ever went out on a date, nothing would ever come out of it. They weren't compatible in the slightest!

"People do surprising things for their partners." Mused the fortune teller, resting her chin in her hands. She seemed to be enjoying Ochako's reaction too much.

"Nope! No! I don't believe it!" The brunette stomped out of the room and back down the hall, fuming. Of course it was all fake! It was all a ruse, and the woman had probably just picked a random face out of the room to say was Ochako's soulmate to mess with her!

"Uraraka how did it-"

"I'm not talking about it!" She shouted, interrupting Deku.

"I'm guessing she didn't get the answer she wanted…" Ashido whispered to Kaminari, who nodded in response.

"Well now that this dumbass nonsense is over, can we fucking leave? It's getting late."

"It's only 8:30 at night…" Mumbled Kaminari.

* * *

"Ochako, aren't you going to eat? _Ribbit_." Asked a concerned Tsuyu.

"H-huh?" Ochako blinked, looking down at her plate, apparently she'd just been pushing her breakfast around instead of actually putting it in her mouth. Her mind had been elsewhere, and so had her eyes as Tsuyu pointed out.

"Did something happen with Bakugo?"

"What! No!" She said defensively.

Tsuyu stared, clearly unconvinced.

"N-no… just… something some stupid person said." She mumbled, going back to pushing her food around. She didn't have much of an appetite right now.

It had been a week since they visited the fortune teller, and Ochako had convinced herself that it was all a big hoax. Under no circumstances could a quirk that could see the red string of fate exist. So there was absolutely no way she saw that Ochako's thread was tied to Bakugo. None. Nada. Zilch. So why did it still linger in the back of her mind? She and Bakugo were DEFINITELY not compatible. Nobody would deny that. Anyone who said otherwise could be considered clinically insane.

"Was it the fortune teller? _Ribbit_."

"Yes- wait- hold on-" Ochako was caught off guard, stumbling over her words as Tsuyu hit the nail on the head. "Y-you got it all wrong Tsu! I-I-"

"Ochako, it'll be easier if you're just honest with yourself." Said the frog girl wisely. Ochako hated to admit it, but she should probably admit it.

"Alright, fine! Yeah… She… she said that Bakugo was my soulmate." Chocolate eyes drifted over to the spiky haired boy as he talked rowdily with Kirishima. She wondered what they were discussing.

"Do you believe it?" Tsuyu tilted her head curiously.

"N-no. Of course not. There's probably not a single universe where we'd end up together." Ochako huffed, puffing out her cheeks as she pouted.

"Then it shouldn't bother you, should it. _Ribbit_." Tsuyu put a finger on her chin, "Unless a part of you believes it's true."

Unfortunately, she was right. As much as she would deny to the ends of the earth that their pairing could ever be functional, there were some things that made her consider otherwise.

It was extremely difficult to earn Bakugo's respect, but you could tell when you had. The fact he called her by her surname was enough to tell her she'd done something he saw worth being seen as an equal in his eyes. He'd seen she wasn't weak and fragile like some people would mistakenly assume. All after she gave him hell at the sports festival. In fact, she almost thought he was disappointed, like he expected her to do better. It was interesting, considering he'd never once acknowledged her before. But that was just her speculation.

He wasn't necessarily a terrible person either, she'd seen the good in him on several occasions. Sure he was… obnoxious, loud, and just plain mean sometimes, he had potential to be a good guy. If anything she'd heard about his mom from Deku was true, Bakugo could probably still be a brash person without being a complete jerk if he put his mind to it.

Then there were the superficial things, like his appearance. He was definitely someone the girls probably fawned over in middle school, even after he yelled at them to bug off. His features were chiseled, and his training gave him some attractive definition to his muscles. Plus his eyes, when he was fired up, while gave off the chilling sense that he'd murder anyone in his way, were also filled with a handsome determination. Not to mention they just straight up looked like sparkling rubies. He looked big and strong and like if he really tried, he could be a comforting rock to the right person.

"Ochako you're staring again. _Ribbit_."

"I'm not!"

* * *

"In hero work you're not always going to work with people you or your quirks are compatible with. It's a fact of life that pro heroes have to deal with every day when they are caught in a situation with other pro heroes." Aizawa droned on. Ochako listened intently. She figured that might be the case, considering SOME people she knew.

Class 1-A had assembled in one of the training areas, dressed in their hero costumes. Today apparently was a team building exercise, though it was a little different.

"While you've all had experience fighting together already, and some of you are quicker thinkers than others who can analyze the situation and plan around your disadvantages, some of you still need to work on communication and tactics in the field if you are to encounter a situation like the one I described. Today I've purposefully assigned you into pairs I don't see working together very well. We're going to simulate a disaster situation for each pair individually, nothing quite the scale of your test for your provisional licenses, but enough to show how you adjust to inopportune situations."

She could already tell some of the pairs he was likely to announce. Todoroki with Hagakure. It would force him to control his attacks without seeing where his partner was, and it would be difficult for Toru who would have to maneuver around his-

"First pair. Bakugo and Uraraka."

This week just kept getting worse.

She didn't even pay attention to the rest of Aizawa's pairings. Did it even matter? She was stuck with the last person she wanted to be alone with. She almost wondered if the teacher had picked up on that when he put them together. Though it wasn't like Aizawa knew that she was having an internal struggle over teenage romance.

"Alright, that should be everyone. First pair, you get to stay here while the rest of the class heads up to observation with me." Aizawa said as he walked away, waving for the rest of the class to follow.

Ochako caught Tsuyu's sympathetic look as she walked away.

"Well! I guess we'll just have to make the most of this!" She said, trying to remain cheerful.

"Or we could just get this bullshit over with." Bakugo said gruffly.

"Right…" What was she expecting? They'd been partnered because Aizawa didn't think they were compatible. That was a good thing though. It proved what she'd been saying to herself all week. Of course he meant battle wise, but what was the saying about love and war? Oh it's not like it matters right now.

"Ready yourselves." She heard Aizawa's voice over an intercom system echo through the training area. She glanced to Bakugo out of the corner of her eye, he looked determined and slightly annoyed.

It was kind of attractive.

"Oi, Uraraka, open your fucking eyes!" Shouted Bakugo. Apparently he'd already started moving, it took her a moment to register why. She was surprised to see the smaller robots from their entrance exams starting to flood the streets. So this was how they were going to simulate the disaster.

Easy peasy.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Is what she thought, but it had ended up being a little more difficult. Having learned everything they had thus far, she'd become well aware of the need to reduce the amount of damage they left behind, which was difficult when Bakugo's quirk exploded things. However she found they actually made a pretty good match up quirk wise. Just like at the sports festival she was able to use the debris from his attacks to her advantage, and at some point it almost seemed like he was purposefully destroying things that looked replaceable for her to use. He didn't really listen to directions, but when he was doing his own thing he wasn't hard to work with. She was… actually starting to wonder why she and him had been matched up for this exercise.

"Bakugo watch your right!"

"Uraraka, float that bastard so I can knock him to space!"

"Don't blow that up! That looks like apartments!"

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing!"

"I think we're almost done here!" She shouted enthusiastically. This hadn't actually been so bad. They made a really good team. Maybe the fortune teller hadn't been wrong after all.

Wait.

Crap.

She shouldn't have thought about that. Once she had, it had frozen her in place as if the small epiphany had hit her like a freight train. Suddenly the idea of her with Bakugo wasn't terrible? Maybe if he just… toned it down a notch to be more tolerable she'd find dating him something plausible. And that might be a thing that came with age and maturity, so was it really that far fetched that he might not be unbearable in the future?

"Wake the fuck up, Uraraka!" She felt herself being shoved, snapping back to reality just in time to see one of the robots aiming right for her, only for Bakugo to blast it away once she was clear.

"R-right! Sorry!"

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

After their mock battle, Ochako had gotten a minor scolding for freezing up in the middle of a fight. Aizawa attributed it to fear, so she'd let him believe whatever he wanted. Still, they passed with flying colors despite her apparent panic. She wanted to ask Aizawa why they'd been matched up for an exercise where they weren't supposed to compliment each other, but she couldn't find the words and she didn't think she actually wanted the answer. She was almost afraid he'd say something like, _Didn't you realize it was all a ruse to get you to work better with your teammate?_ or, _Actually I knew you two were a perfect match. Now go get married and have explody floating babies._

Okay that last one was probably just her imagination running haywire.

"Are you okay, Ochako?" Tsuyu had pulled her aside during the next pair's simulation. "It wasn't fear that made you freeze up, was it? _Ribbit_."

"I mean, it was a kind of fear." She scratched her cheek sheepishly, eyes flickering over to Bakugo where he'd gone to stand near Kirishima and Kaminari. "A fear that maybe it's not so impossible that Bakugo and I are soulmates."

"So?" Tsuyu stared at her, as if suggesting there was really nothing to fret over.

"S-so? So it means…" What did it mean?

"Is it really terrible to think Bakugo could be someone you'd like? Maybe even love? _Ribbit_. He's not a bad person after all. _Ribbit_. Just loud."

"N-no… I… guess not…"

"Besides. What will be, will be."

"I can see your point, Tsu, but…" She glanced over to Deku now. She'd been so sure of her feelings for him even if it had taken her some time to admit them to herself in the first place. Was it just because she idolized him? Was it the fickleness of teenage girl's love? It almost felt like betraying Deku if she were to ever actually like Bakugo instead. Let alone date him when the two boys were rivals.

"Deku would understand. He'd probably be happy for both of you. _Ribbit_." Tsuyu said, as if reading Ochako's mind, but really she probably just saw where she was looking.

"Haha… yeah…" She sighed.

"Does Bakugo know about this?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Have you told him what the fortune teller said. _Ribbit_." Tsuyu clarified.

"N-no! No way! Never! I… he'd mock me for even believing it. That's why he came the other night. To make fun of those of us who participated." She looked down. In fact, it occurred to her that there was the real flaw in their being soulmates. Who'd make the first move? Certainly not her, she'd be too shy to ever admit she liked him (if she ever did) for fear he'd laugh in her face. He wouldn't do it, because he was brutally honest but not when it came to himself, plus he'd never be attracted to someone like her in the first place. Surely his type was more… well… more.

Tsuyu hummed in thought. Ochako hadn't been looking when the frog girl had turned her attention to Bakugo. Ochako had also missed how quickly he'd looked away from the two girls who were deep in quiet conversation. "You never know. _Ribbit_."

* * *

Ever since the trip to the fortune teller, Ochako had felt all weird about Bakugo, and having to pair up for that exercise the other day hadn't helped in the slightest. In fact, it only made it worse. She'd never actually had to avoid Bakugo before because it seemed like he just avoided everyone else. Except now, if he so much as breathed in her direction she was on edge. This had to be how people who had a target painted on their back felt around him too.

Did she like him? That was… hard to say. She didn't really know anything about him outside of school. Deku had told her a little bit, but sometimes she got the feeling even he was out of the loop when it came to Bakugo, and they grew up together. If he'd opened up to anyone it was probably Kirishima and she doubted he ever willingly did so. All she knew is that he was attractive, smart, yelled a lot, should probably wash his mouth out with soap, and clearly really wanted to be a hero just like the rest of them. Knowing only that, she could probably say she was at least currently infatuated.

But that still translated to a crush didn't it?

The worst part was, she wasn't even sure if it was real. Her feelings that is. Maybe it was all just in her head, after what the fortune teller said. Maybe if she'd never been told that he was her soulmate she would never in her life have found herself in this predicament.

 _"Soulmates don't have to be romantic you know."_ Tsuyu had said, late one evening, trying to ease her friend's mind. _"They are just people who you are made to get along with._ Ribbit. _Maybe you're just meant to be really good friends in the future?"_

That was ideal, she had always deep down hoped she could become friends with Bakugo. She wanted to be friends with all her classmates, and she was pretty sure she already was good friends with at least half of them.

 _"I read that some people don't always find their soulmate in each life. Y'know as we're reincarnated sometimes our soulmate is put someplace or sometime where you'll never meet!"_ Hagakure had explained after Ochako asked about the fortune teller not seeing her soulmate. _"That doesn't make me sad though, it just makes me hopeful for the next life if I don't find them in this one!"_

So she was lucky that she even found her soulmate? If Bakugo really was hers. Did that mean she'd be an idiot to try and turn this away?

 _"Eh? Kacchan's never really had a girlfriend that I remember… I mean… girls liked him, but he never really showed any interest in girls."_ She didn't know why she even bothered to ask her original crush, but Deku was her best shot at getting closer to figuring out the puzzle that was Katsuki Bakugo without being terribly obvious by asking Kirishima. _"Actually, you're the only girl he's ever called by name, Uraraka."_

GREAT! LIKE THAT MADE HER FEEL WORLDS BETTER! To know she was probably the only girl that Deku was aware of that Bakugo respected enough to call by name was just another arrow to the heart. It almost made her feel superior. If Bakugo saw her as his only female equal that meant she could do anything!

Oh she hated how much she loved that idea.

Sitting on her bed, Ochako grabbed her pillow and shoved it over her face so she could safely scream in frustration without disturbing anyone else. She almost missed the sound of paper being slid under her door. Peeking over the pillow, she saw a white envelope on the floor in front of her dorm room door. Curious, she crawled off her bed to investigate it. Upon picking up the envelope she saw it wasn't sealed, so she opened it with ease to find a handwritten note. She recognized it as Tsuyu's handwriting.

 _Ochako. I think I have an idea of how to fix the Bakugo situation. Meet me in the common room after everyone has gone to bed._

 _-Tsu_

This is why this girl was one of her best friends! Leave it to Tsuyu to come up with an idea for how to fix Ochako's problem. Hopefully, it meant finding a way to forget about it all together! Because she'd definitely tried on her own. Unfortunately, it just made her think about it even more. She didn't even question meeting up that late. After all, she didn't want anyone around to hear about her might-be-crush on Bakugo. It was bad enough that all the girls and Aoyama were onto her crush for Deku. What would they do if they found out she maybe switched to Bakugo instead?

Oh she'd never hear the end of it.

So she waited, until she was certain that everyone was either sound asleep or in their rooms for the night. Slowly, she tiptoed out of her dorm and down to the common room. It was dark, so she really couldn't make out much and she didn't want to turn on a light, but she mostly found her way through muscle memory.

"Tsu?" She called out once she was sure she was in the common area. It was dark in here too, save for the light coming in through the windows from the full moon. "Did I get here before her..?"

"Uraraka?"

Oh.

Oh no.

She knew that voice.

Oh HELL no.

Tsuyu had tricked her.

"B-Bakguo! What are you doing up this late?"

"Fuckin' frog." He cursed.

"What?"

"I said what does it matter to you." She almost certainly knew that was not what he said, but she'd let him get by with it since it sounded like Tsuyu had tricked him too. As she walked closer, she started to make out his figure in the moonlight. Or that could just be her eyes finally adjusting to the dark. "I'd ask you the same damn thing, but something tells me I don't need to. Waste of time anyways."

"R-right…" Whatever he meant by that.

"I'm not gonna beat around the bush, Uraraka, like that bastard Deku. What's your fucking problem lately?"

She blinked, surprised by his question. "Excuse me?"

"Not that I give two shits, but you've been acting funny. And that stunt during our training? I know you well enough to know you wouldn't've frozen up like a little bitch baby over some scrap metal." Oh how nice of him to put it so eloquently. Bakugo really was a true wordsmith.

"I just-"

"No. Not 'I just'. I want the cold hard shit stained truth."

"Geeze you can tone it down a little…" She mumbled, but she was thankful for the dark. This way, he couldn't see her blushing. To think, Bakugo could make her blush like a girl in love. Because she wasn't! In love that is!

"I'm waiting." She could tell his arms were crossed, but that's really all she could make out. Otherwise, she could imagine the probable scowl on his face.

"It's… embarrassing…"

"Don't care."

"You'll laugh."

"Deal with it."

"I don't want to tell you!"

"Do I gotta beat it out of you?!"

"No! Ugh… fine! But… it's… it's really just… actually it's stupid…" She rubbed her arm, looking down at her feet.

"Well that's no fucking surprise." She could almost HEAR him rolling his eyes.

She huffed in frustration. "Fine! You wanna know? It… the fortune teller. It's her fault! She told me you were my soulmate, and… and it can't be true right? I mean sure we can fight together, but a relationship between us just wouldn't work! Except she put it in my head and now… now I just can't stop thinking about it… And it's dumb… it's really dumb that I let this get to me!"

She couldn't believe she just spilled it all. She expected him to start laughing, yelling, something! He was just quiet though, like he was thinking.

"So?" Was all he said when he finally responded.

"S-so? What do you mean, 'so'?" She stared at him, confused.

Finally, he stepped more into the moonlight so she could make out his face. He looked… annoyed? But also not? It was hard to say. He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Why the fuck should it matter what that phony said? I told all of you who went you were idiots for believing any of that shit. Besides, fuck destiny and fuck fate. You're the only one who chooses your future. Just like nobody is telling me- or you, that you can't be a hero. Because you can bet their fucking asses I'm going to be at the top of all the damn best heroes in the world. That scam artist fortune teller ain't telling you who your soulmate is, because that's for you to decide."

She was stunned. He had… a really good point, and it had been the same one she'd been trying to make to herself for the past week and a half, but for some reason it only made sense coming from him. Maybe it was because it was so weird for Bakugo to be motivational, even when his speech contained Bakugo-esque vocabulary.

"Now get your shit together, Uraraka, or I'll have to knock some sense into that pee-brain of yours." He groaned, turning his back to her. "And go to bed. It's the middle of the fucking night."

"R-right- um… thanks? Good night, Bakugo."

"Fuck off."

As Uraraka made her way back to her dorm room, she held her hand over her heart. For some reason, it just wouldn't stop pounding in her chest after what he'd said to her. Bakugo was probably one of the first of her classmates to see she wasn't just a fragile piece of glass, and now he'd gone and told her she could essentially do whatever she wanted no matter what anyone said. He'd managed to simultaneously convince her that the fortune teller was baloney, and also maybe genuinely capture her heart? She still honestly couldn't tell.

In fact, when she'd gotten back to her room and laid down, hugging her pillow tightly, she felt more confused than she'd ever been.

Perhaps—even if the fortune teller's fortune had been a hoax—perhaps she hadn't been wrong?

"That didn't help at all Tsu!" She shouted into her pillow.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh wow, I can't believe I'm starting a new thing. Again. Well, except I can. Because that's just what I do. Good news is, it's just a two shot, and the second half writes itself. Or rather, has already written itself. It's pretty much done. I just have to expand certain areas and (shittily) proofread. Despite having been in Uraraka's shoes more than once when it comes to a crush, it was REALLY REALLY HARD TO WRITE FOR HER. For some reason, she just takes a lot of energy out of me to make her character seem right. Probably because I relate more to Bakugo, in the "keep my feelings bottled up and swear a lot" sense and not the "angry shouty asshole" sense.**

 **Anyways, part two will be up in no time. If I do get enough good feedback, I might consider expanding it into a larger series, who knows. I don't because I don't know what you think. So thank you for reading, and remember that reviews and feedback are always appreciated!**


	2. Part Two

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia._

* * *

 _"You get under my skin_  
 _More than anyone's ever been"_

 _\- Rock Bottom, Hailee Steinfeld & DNCE_

"Hey! Did you guys hear about the fortune teller? Apparently her quirk lets her see who your soulmate is!" Raccoon Eyes announced enthusiastically, clearly she was invested in the topic.

"That's bullshit! I've never heard of any quirks like that." That was Kirishima. Katsuki for the most part trusted his judgement, so he was about to tune out of this dumb ass conversation that had caught his ears. That was until he heard _her_ voice.

"Even if it's not real, it still would be interesting to see what she has to say." He knew why she was interested in this topic. If it weren't for her cheesy crush on Deku she probably wouldn't have cared. Well, she might still have been interested, he admittedly didn't know that much about her interests. Uraraka was someone he, for the most part, did not interact with, outside of being stuck in the same room together all the time or having to fight baddies in the same situation. The most interaction they had really ever gotten together was the sports festival when they were matched with one another. Up until that point he'd not really given her much thought. She seemed like someone who would be easy to beat, definitely not a threat to his goal of becoming number one. Of course, as with everything that didn't stop him from going all out, what's the point if you're not giving 100% all the time?

But she managed to surprise him. Suddenly, this girl was on his radar as she held her own. Sure, he still beat her, but if he'd not been so goddamn great at everything he does, she probably could have given him a run for his money. He liked that. It's no fun getting to kick someone's ass who can't hold their own. Okay that was a lie, it was a little fun. But it didn't boost his confidence nearly as much as it did to provide a beating to someone who wasn't a scrawny weakling. Seeing that she wasn't ENTIRELY useless, she had earned a smidgen of respect from him.

He also refused to admit that he had fallen head first into one of Cementoss' concrete walls in love with her. Even though as he monologued in his head he definitely was admitting that he was in love with her. Realistically, he didn't believe in love, at least not that easily. Even he knew that a relationship took a little more getting to know someone than he was comfortable with. As dumb as his parents were, and as little of a match as other people saw them, he knew that they got along because they knew each other better than anyone else. Hell, he'd probably have an easier time dating Kirishima than Uraraka. Getting to know people wasn't exactly his strong suit, however he was good at observing people and zeroing in on their insecurities.

He could tell that Uraraka had a huge ass crush on Deku. Who the fuck knew why, just cause the guy got a little beefier after middle school didn't make him as drop dead gorgeous as Katsuki was. Of course, pretty much everyone in their class could already tell that Uraraka had a thing for Deku, everyone except for Deku the oblivious bastard. She seemed to like fluffy shit, and Katsuki didn't think they got any fluffier than Deku, even if they were literally covered in fur. That was really the only thing he could think of as to why she'd like the guy. Of course, if he was to listen to his insecurities he'd also know it was because she looked up to him as an inspiration for becoming a hero. Who in their class didn't? He was supposed to be the next All Might after all, it was only fitting he'd be an icon.

Bakugo was just loud. Or at least, that's probably what everyone thought about him. Not like he actually gave a flying shit, he'd prove them all wrong anyways. It only really mattered a little bit when it came to her, because he knew she'd never look at him the same way she looked at Deku. He could live with that though. His first ever crush on a real girl and he could live with it never coming to fruition. First crushes weren't supposed to work out anyways. Right? Or was that first relationships? Did it really fucking matter? They might as well be the same damn thing.

However, her interest in this fortune teller thing had him interested. Even if she'd never love him, maybe he could at least understand her better by showing interest in her interests. Though, a bullshit psychic was really the last thing he wanted to show interest in or ever admit to having shown interest in. If he was actually being honest, he was kinda curious what the fortune teller would have to say about him. Would she tell him what he was already sure of? Or would she tell him that Ochako was actually meant for him? Not like that would change anything.

"See! Ochako thinks it'd be fun! Let's all go!" Raccoon Eyes chimed in again. Apparently the conversation was still going, but he saw fit to tune out for real now. He got up from the chair he'd been sitting in, heading up to his dorm. Kirishima, seeing Katsuki's exit, hopped up to follow after him.

"Are you gonna go with them, dude?" He stupidly asked.

"The hell, why would I go with them?" Bakugo scowled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Kirishima gave him a look, leaning in closer, "I mean, Ochako-"

"I fucking told you to drop that."

"I know!" He held up his hands defensively. "I didn't think it would hurt to ask though."

"I'll make it hurt."

"Alright, I get it!"

* * *

What had brought him to standing in front of this gaudy looking storefront? Curiosity? Genuine interest? No, a fucking dumbass cute girl had. Katsuki had fallen so far from his middle school years. He'd gone soft.

Not soft enough to let anyone know he was coming here, not even Kirishima the smug bastard knew that Katsuki had made an appointment to come get his fortune told by the so-called soulmate finder. It was dumb. It was really fucking dumb. Except he couldn't shake the feeling that he just had to know. So he opened the door and walked in, cool as a cucumber on the outside, but internally he wanted to break something.

It was boring inside. No surprise there. Would it kill the bitch to put up something nice? His dad could probably do wonders in this place, even though he just designed clothes, he had a better sense of style than whoever ran this place. He looked around, seeing the frosted glass window in the wall. Was he supposed to go up to that? Shit, he couldn't actually bring himself to bring attention to himself for once. Was he actually freezing up here? No. No fuck that. He was Katsuki fucking Bakugo. A fortune teller did not intimidate-

"Everyone knows she's got it bad for Todoroki! Come on guys let's stop stalling and go inside!"

Fuck.

What the fuck were those assholes doing here. No, he knew why they were here. He realized he probably should have paid attention to their conversation the other night just a little bit more so that he could avoid showing up here on the same night they did. Too damn late now. He was royally screwed if the noticed him before he could get out. What would he fucking say? His reputation ruined just like that if they realized he was here to find out something so lovey dovey as who his mother fucking soulmate was.

"This… isn't really what I was expecting." Raccoon Eyes would say. "It's a lot less-"

"Mystical?" The fact he couldn't pinpoint where the voice was coming from meant it was See Through.

"Yeah."

Nobody had noticed him yet, so he pushed himself into a far corner away from the group. He surveyed the participants in the room. Obviously Raccoon Eyes and See Through, there was also Dumb Face, Ponytail, Deku…

And Uraraka.

Shit.

Everyone's attention was pulled to the glass window as it slid open. Good. This was his chance. Except fucking DEKU WAS BLOCKING HIS WAY. He'd yell at the bastard, but he had to hold it in if he didn't want to be found out. If anyone were to turn and see his face, they'd think he was constipated.

"Do you have an appointment?" Asked the woman on the other side of the window. He recognized her as the fortune teller from the picture on her website. Ha! They'd have to leave because they didn't make an appointment, fucking losers.

He was even more of a loser FOR making an appointment.

"Um, do we need appointments to get our fortune told?" Inquired Raccoon Eyes.

"Not necessarily, but someone did call to make an appointment, so I was curious if it was one of you seven."

Fuck.

He did the math.

There were only six people in their group.

The bitch had ratted him out.

"No it's not one of- wait, seven?" All eyes turned to him. God dammit. He stood there stiff as a board, wanting to murder the bitch who just put the spotlight on him when he was hoping to escape without a scene.

"Kacchan?" Of course Deku was the first to speak. The little twerp. "What are you doing here?"

Think of something. Think of something dammit! "Someone had to point out how dumb you losers are for doing this bullshit." Perfect.

Everyone seemed to buy it.

And so he stood in the corner, pretending like he wasn't super uncomfortable or like they hadn't just caught him red handed. Thank fuck Kirishima wasn't here, he'd be able to smell out his lie like it was a pile of rotting shit.

He paid no attention as everyone went in and out of the back room. He didn't even care how the fortune teller's quirk actually worked. There was no point in this now. It was dumb. He was dumb. He was a goddamn genius but he was dumb as shit. He risked flicking his attention over to Uraraka. He didn't have to worry, she was looking at Deku. She was always looking at Deku, even if her eyes weren't physically staring at him. Why did it have to be Deku?

He looked away, trying to ignore the annoying feeling in his chest when he thought about his crush having a crush on his rival. Really it wasn't specific to that subject, it happened any time he looked at Uraraka. She was a fucking witch, tempting him with her big brown eyes and bright smile. She didn't have to touch him to make him float. He hated that so fucking much. He hated her for making him want her so bad when he couldn't have her.

"Are you gonna go Uraraka?" His attention had been pulled back to the group when Deku spoke up, apparently Uraraka was the last one left and she was frozen in her seat. He bet it didn't help she was just asked why she wasn't going by the person she was 100% here for. Katsuki wasn't a mind reader but he could read her expression.

"Y-yeah! Just, hyping myself up!" She lied.

"The fuck is there to hype up? Just go in there and get it over with. You can't be scared of a fake fortune." It took him a moment to realize it was his voice that had just spoken. Why was he encouraging her? At least he'd sounded annoyed to all hell. Because he was.

It had worked though, she hopped up like a perky little bunny rabbit and with determination marched to the back room. His eyes had followed her all the way until she'd disappeared through the doorway.

"That was nice of you to give Uraraka a boost of confidence, Kacchan." Fucking Deku again.

"Yeah, I mean it was in your usual fashion but it was surprising to think you'd even care." Raccoon Eyes piped up.

He crossed his arms, trying not to explode this whole fucking building just to revel in the rubble left behind. It was also effective body language for saying _Don't fucking talk to me._ "I don't care. I could practically hear her teeth chattering in fear. It was annoying."

Deku settled back into his seat, but with a knowing look on his face. "Right…" Green fuck was gonna get it again if he didn't shut the hell up.

Again, he tuned out of the conversation and stared at the wall angrily instead. Every few seconds he sensed Deku's eyes on him, as if the bastard was trying to analyze his behavior. Did the scrawny shit ever stop!? He was about to give him, or anyone in this room a piece of his mind when the sound of stomping and yelling erupted from the hallway. The brunette emerged through the doorway. His mouth went dry.

Uraraka was hot when she was angry.

"Uraraka how did it-"

"I'm not talking about it!" She even interrupted Deku. Oh man she really was a woman. He watched as she sped through the room and out the door. He pitied any creature that got in her way as she raged all the way back to the dorms. Not really. He'd gladly watch Uraraka punch the shit out of some unsuspecting bystander. Not that she actually would, she was still too goody two-shoes and if she did hurt someone she'd snap out of her fire and immediately start apologizing.

"I love it when I get reactions like that." The fortune teller chuckled as she came out from the back room.

Slowly everyone thanked her and started heading out, with Ponytail going last to pay for their sessions. Bakugo went after her.

The fortune teller caught his arm before he could leave.

He wheeled around to deck her but stopped midway with his fist in the air when she ran her thumb over his pinky. An amused grin played on her lips.

"She doesn't look it, but she's a firecracker just like you. Good luck, Katsuki Bakugo."

* * *

Kirishima nearly spit out his drink. "You did what!?"

"I ain't fuckin' saying it twice, dipshit. You heard me." Katsuki angrily munched on a piece of toast.

"I mean, yeah, but dude I didn't think you'd actually try to get your fortune told!" The spiky haired idiot said maybe a little too loudly for Bakugo's comfort so he stepped on his foot. "Ow!"

"Keep your voice down."

"Look who's talking…" He grimaced at the pain in his foot. "So what did she say?"

"I thought you said it was hokey shit. Besides, I didn't get to see her."

Kirishima shrugged, leaning back. "Well yeah, but if my best bro thought it was worth his time, clearly she isn't that much of a fraud."

"No, she is. And overly handsy." He shivered at the memory of how she touched his hand. Like some sort of connection had been made between them when she touched his pinky. As if she was delving deep into his soul, sucking away at his secrets like a vampire. She'd seen right through him. It wasn't a quirk, she was just good at guessing your insecurities just like him. The hand motion was just a distraction so that she could read your features and read your body language. If your crush was written on your face like a book, she'd vaguely imply it was your crush. Apparently he wasn't as good at hiding his affections for Uraraka as he thought he was. It was why she couldn't find Raccoon Eyes, Dumb Face, or See Through's soulmates (at least that's what he'd overheard), because a) the first two probably didn't like anyone enough to let it show in their body language, and b) See Through was fucking invisible. Ponytail of course, had it written all over her face, so with a few vague comments it wouldn't be long before the fortune teller pinned her with Half 'n Half.

He was surprised though that through this revelation about the woman's technique, that Uraraka had been so upset. Shouldn't she have been floating on a cloud to hear that Deku was her soulmate, since her crush on him wasn't just written on her face, it was painted on a fifteen fucking meter billboard. Unless…

Unless her crush wasn't actually on Deku?

"Dude, you're staring at her again."

"Shut your damn trap." He brought his eyes back to his breakfast, stabbing a scrambled egg with a fork and unbridled fury.

"I wish chill pills were real and that I could force feed you one right now." Kirishima sighed, shaking his head.

He rolled his eyes, daring to stare right at the girl in question. If anyone were to notice, they'd think Uraraka had pissed him off in some way, based on the rage burning in his eyes. She was sitting with Frog, talking about something that had her blushing and fumbling like a cute idiot. It was probably Deku. It was always Deku.

He furrowed his brows in frustration. Why did it continue to bother him when he knew he should just let it go. She'd never reciprocate anything except friendship with him. And like hell he wanted to be fluffy fluff buddies with her. He wanted to slam her up against a wall and angrily kiss her. Not that he actually could do that on his first try. He'd probably just sputter and be too embarrassed to even look at her if he got that close. If she just knew that his biggest weakness would be kissing her, she could subdue him with no effort at all.

Katsuki looked away just in time to avoid making eye contact with her for the third time.

"You're so obvious man, she's gonna figure it out." Kirishima started, but then he shook his head. "Actually, she'd probably think you're out for her blood before she ever guessed you got the hots for her."

"Don't say it like that." Grumbled Katsuki.

"Right, sorry, you like softer phrases like having a _crush_ or you've got _feelings_ for her." Teased the red haired boy.

"I'm gonna fucking strangle you, Spiky Hair."

"Oi, we're not backpedaling to nicknames again are we!?"

* * *

"First pair. Bakugo and Uraraka. Second pair. Todoroki and Hagakure. Third pair. Sero and Ashido. Fourth pair. Asui and Kaminari. Fifth pair. Midoriya and..." Aizawa's words had trailed off in his ears at that point, having heard the only two names of any true importance to him. Katsuki didn't see any reason to this exercise, it was clearly all a ruse, because some of these pairs were not actually terrible. For instance, and he wasn't biased or anything, but clearly he and Uraraka were a great combination quirk wise if their match up in the sports festival was any sign. If all anyone had to go on was poor communication between the two, they could easily match him up with any other student in this class and get the same result.

He figured all this exercise was made to do was trick you into being on edge with your teammate, but that didn't work with him because even if he had a dumb crush on Uraraka, he wasn't gonna listen to a single thing she had to say anyways. That was, unless she showed him the same grit that she had during their match. He still wouldn't submit fully but he'd be more inclined to her suggestions. He glanced over to Uraraka, expecting to see a grin or something enthusiastic.

She looked anything but happy however. Her eyebrows had creased in concern and she twiddled her thumbs like she wanted to object to the pairing. Katsuki figured she just wanted to pair with Deku instead, but she'd never seemed to visibly dislike pairing up with him before. Then again, they didn't usually get paired for anything. When was the last time they fought side by side? He… couldn't actually recall a moment they fought together explicitly. They had always been pitted against each other for school, and during villain attacks they never really crossed paths. They really were complete strangers. So why did it have to hurt so bad to see she was uncomfortable partnering with him?

He didn't like this.

"Alright, that should be everyone. First pair, you get to stay here while the rest of the class heads up to observation with me." Aizawa finished, walking away. Kirishima gave Katsuki a thumbs up.

He was going to break his thumbs later.

"Well! I guess we'll just have to make the most of this!" He glanced down to see Uraraka standing next to him, obviously forcing a smile. She looked so nervous. He hated how she trembled like a fucking mouse.

If he was really the cause of this, he figured the sooner they got done, the better. "Or we could just get this bullshit over with." He said, looking ahead with indifference.

"Right…" She didn't sound any happier. Fuck why was he so bad at this? Why couldn't she be excited to partner with him? She just wanted to partner with Deku.

It was always.

Fucking.

Deku.

"Ready yourselves." The teacher's disembodied voice called to them through the sound speakers. He didn't have to tell Katsuki twice. He got into a fighting stance.

Uraraka just stood there.

"Oi, Uraraka, open your fucking eyes!"

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Clearly they had both learned from their experiences of being pitted against one another, and were using each other's quirks to their advantage. He'd break something, she'd make it float, then drop it on the hunks of metal they were "fighting." Katsuki didn't really think it was much of a fight. These bots were no match for him on his own, especially not since he'd worked on getting more precise with his explosions. Really, he could probably take these things out without her help, but mandatory pairings made a good excuse to bond with her. This was bonding right? It felt like bonding. Especially when she was actually doing a lot more than just using her quirk. She'd learned those moves during her internship hadn't she? Uraraka kicking ass was his love language.

Once they'd actually started fighting, her entire demeanor had changed. She relaxed, and looked like she was enjoying herself. Maybe her terror earlier had been his imagination. From what glimpses he caught of her while they fought, he could see she was smiling like the sun. Her voice had a power to it that really got him going. The rubble wasn't the only thing soaring as she fought beside him. Fuck who was he kidding, he wasn't getting over her any time soon.

"Bakugo watch your right!"

"Uraraka, float that bastard so I can knock him to space!"

"Don't blow that up! That looks like apartments!"

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing!"

"I think we're almost done here!" She called out excitedly.

However, suddenly she went quiet, Katsuki glanced back in her direction to see she was standing still with a blank face. He was confused, she'd been fine this whole time, and suddenly with the flip of a switch she was paralyzed. What the fuck was wrong with her? Worse yet, she chose to do it in the middle of battle. At the moment one of the giant pieces of scrap metal was hurling a clanky arm at her.

And she just stood there, like she couldn't see it coming straight toward her.

Protective instinct kicked in as he shoved her out of the way. "Wake the fuck up, Uraraka!" He shouted, blasting the robo bastard to smithereens.

He glanced down at her once the nuisance was taken care of. He didn't know what kind of expression he expected to see, but certainly not one that made his heart jump into his throat.

She was blushing.

"R-right! Sorry!" She stammered, and she was back to the fight, pushing whatever thing it was that had changed her mood so suddenly to the back of her mind again apparently, because it didn't bother her for the rest of the mock battle.

He ended up landing the finishing blow, ending what had seemed like an hour long fight, but had really only been a few minutes. Uraraka's tension had somewhat returned once they were no longer fighting, but she was then distracted as Aizawa drilled into her about her mistake. He blamed it on fear.

Katsuki knew better. Sure, all this time she looked afraid of him, but it was occurring to him she probably wasn't afraid. Her blush after he'd shoved her was all the proof he'd needed. She only blushed like that around Deku. This time it was him. This time it was Katsuki Bakugo who had made her blush. He felt even more like a superior being than usual.

Uraraka was acting like she had a crush on him, and not Deku. It occurred to him she hadn't gushed over Deku in days. She'd been actively avoiding eye contact with Katsuki, whereas before she would have stared him down with determination. She wasn't afraid to be around him, she was nervous. Could what he had thought was impossible have actually happened? Did Uraraka actually have a crush on him or was it his imagination? He'd never been good at reading people's opinions of him, or maybe he'd been too good and he just pretended it was admiration instead of fear after a certain point. The only thing that made him think he was right here was that she'd behaved similarly with Deku.

"Just fucking tell her you love her already, dude. It's pathetic how you just keep staring." Kirishima groaned.

"What's going on? Bakugo's got a crush?" Dumb Face piped up, Katsuki shot a glare Kirishima's way for talking about Uraraka around someone other than just the two of them.

"N-nah I'm just messin' with him! He's just pissed that Uraraka stopped mid battle. Right, man?"

"Piss off."

"See!"

Dumb Face looked unconvinced, but didn't argue. Damn right he'd let it go if he knew what was good for him.

He turned his head to look back at Uraraka and Frog, but just as he'd caught sight of those gravity defying locks, Frog made eye contact with him. Quickly he ducked his head. Shit. She was definitely going to try and bother him about it later.

When the exercise had ended and the class made their way out of the observation room, Katsuki stopped next to Aizawa.

"That was all bullshit. You knew Uraraka and I would work together just fine." He accused, glaring up at his teacher.

"Actually, I expected you to be more lacking in communication. Even I was surprised by how in sync you two were. I suppose I underestimated you." Aizawa said, his voice oozing with exhaustion. Despite this, he eyed Katsuki suspiciously. "I almost wonder what it is that had you actually functioning like teammates." He paused. "Almost."

* * *

"Do you like, Ochako? _Ribbit_."

He had been caught off guard when Frog happened to catch him walking alone back to his dorm. Well, it hadn't really been off guard, he had expected her to bombard him at some point. Except he hadn't imagined it would be so soon. They literally had their team building exercise earlier that day.

"What makes you think you got the right to shove your nose in my business?" He glared, but she didn't seem phased.

"You stare at her a lot, and you saved her from that robot earlier. _Ribbit_." Frog explained, "And as her friend, I wanted to make sure she's in good hands."

"I _glare_ at her a lot, because she's Deku's _friend_ , and I saved her because that's what heroes do, right? So piss off." He started to walk away.

She didn't let him.

"The teachers wouldn't have actually let her get hurt. _Ribbit_. They would have noticed something was wrong and stopped the robots if it got too close. However, you jumped in and saved her before that was necessary. _Ribbit_. Even though you didn't need to."

"I told you, it was what a hero would-"

"You don't usually let heroics get in the way of doing something you don't need to do." Frog was sharp for a- well- a frog.

Katsuki grit his teeth, she had him. He'd slipped up. It's true, he knew there was no reason to put in the effort to save her, but his _feelings_ had taken control and he'd gotten _protective_. Like she was something of his that he didn't want to get broken. Even though he knew she wasn't fragile, in that moment she'd left herself wide open and he knew if it were a real battle she'd be dead or at best injured.

"So what." He finally huffed, his expression still sour. "She likes Deku doesn't she?"

Frog put her finger to her chin, like she was deep in thought. "I wonder. _Ribbit_."

"The fuck does that mean?" He wanted to dig deeper but this was getting annoying. Everyone was too cryptic. Even he was full of secrets at this point, but at this rate Frog was gonna spill his secrets with her sharp intuition. He'd rather that not happen. "Tch, fuckin' forget it. Just keep this shit to yourself or you're dead."

"You should tell Ochako how you feel. _Ribbit_. It would be good for you both."

"Yeah right! Like you know what's good for me." He pushed past her.

 _"It would be good for you both."_ The hell did she mean by that? It certainly wouldn't be good nor would it be easy! Frog didn't know what she was talking about. Katsuki clenched his fists as he stomped back to his room.

He was gonna have to get better at hiding this crush before the whole fucking class found out about his brown eyed weakness.

Oh.

He just remembered he still has to break Kirishima's thumbs.

* * *

Katsuki laid in bed staring at the ceiling. Normally he'd be asleep by now, but his mind was too occupied to fall asleep. Earlier, before he'd gotten in bed, there had been a knock on his door and a piece of paper slid under it. He'd opened the door to see who the fuck was disturbing him this late, but the perpetrator was already gone or hiding. He didn't have the time for some nonsense prank, so he just shut the door. He wouldn't have noticed the note if he hadn't stepped on it.

 _Come to the common room after everyone has gone to bed. We need to talk._

Was all it read. There wasn't even a signature on it or anything. Who the fuck did this person think they were? Summoning him at an ungodly hour of the night to _talk_? Katsuki didn't fucking talk. Or at least, his version of talking used his fists, and he doubted this person wanted to duke it out in the common room.

Also why did they think he was going to do it. Anyone who had been living in this dorm knew that Katsuki was in bed like a good boy at a reasonable hour on most nights. You can't kick ass without a good night's sleep. Which, to be fair he wasn't getting right now. His mind was occupied with that note.

He looked at the clock. Fuck it was late. It was like, 11 o' clock. Alright, whoever the bastard was who left the note was going to regret meeting him because Katsuki was going to leave a hole in his face. It aggravated him beyond belief that a stupid note had grabbed his attention like this. Except, way far in the back of his mind, something nagged at him telling him it was important, and he'd regret not going.

So he stomped- quietly- out of his dorm room. He was pretty sure everyone would be in bed by now. If they weren't he'd yell at them. It wasn't like he kept track of anyone else's schedules in this damn dormitory. The people he gave half a rat's ass about were Deku, Uraraka, and Kirishima, and he didn't even know when they went to bed either.

When he got to the common room, it was empty. Nobody was there. He'd been sitting in the dark for a while in his room so the lack of light in the common room, or the rest of the dorm for that matter hadn't affected him. Sure his night vision wasn't great, but he could make out shapes, and the moonlight from the windows helped illuminate a lot of the objects. He wondered if his note leaver had chickened out. Of course they did, idiot probably grew enough brain cells to piece together how dumb this was.

Then he heard footsteps, and saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Katsuki jumped up, ready to beat the shit out of whoever made him WAIT down here for some bullshit nonsense that he didn't actually give a shit about.

Except he recognized the shape of the person approaching. Was she the one who'd written the note? He opened his mouth, but her voice filled the room before he could get a word out.

"Tsu?" She called out. She appeared to be stumbling through the darkness, she must have been sitting in her room with the light on. "Did I get here before her..?"

"Uraraka?" He finally got it out. If he'd heard her correctly—which he doubted he misheard her since it was deathly silent in here—she'd been calling out for Frog. At least, he was pretty sure that was Frog's name.

Then it clicked.

"B-Bakguo! What are you doing up this late?"

"Fuckin' frog." Shit he said that out loud.

"What?" She'd heard him too.

"I said what does it matter to you?" Yeah, like that sounded anything the same. Get your act together dumbass. Uraraka was still getting closer. He could see her pretty well by now, but there was still a veil of darkness over her face. "I'd ask you the same damn thing, but something tells me I don't need to. Waste of time anyways."

"R-right…" She looked unconvinced, but she didn't press the matter. Thank god.

He had a good idea why Frog called them here. _"It would be good for you both."_ Her words repeated in his mind. Fuck it, but he wasn't going to open with pouring his _feelings_ out. That wasn't like him anyways. No. But he did want to know what the hell was bothering her this whole time, and frankly there was no better opportunity to weasel it out of her.

"I'm not gonna beat around the bush, Uraraka, like that bastard Deku. What's your fucking problem lately?"

"Excuse me?" Jesus why did she make this so difficult. She looked like a deer in headlights.

"Not that I give two shits, but you've been acting funny. And that stunt during our training? I know you well enough to know you wouldn't've frozen up like a little bitch baby over some scrap metal." He called her out. She wasn't fragile, he knew that for a fact. But she had acted fragile, and that had caused him to nearly give away his shitty teenage crush on her.

"I just-"

"No. Not 'I just'. I want the cold hard shit stained truth." Okay maybe that was a little much with the language, even for him. Too late to take it back now.

"Geeze you can tone it down a little…" She even called him out on it.

He crossed his arms impatiently. "I'm waiting."

"It's… embarrassing…"

"Don't care."

"You'll laugh."

"Deal with it."

"I don't want to tell you!"

This back and forth was getting really annoying. "Do I gotta beat it out of you?!"

"No! Ugh… fine! But… it's… it's really just… actually it's stupid…"

Oh please, if he had to put up with anymore of this he'd have to blow something up. He liked this girl, but seriously she needed to get over this. It was not even occurring to him that maybe she didn't want to talk to someone she technically barely knew and did not have a very friendly rapport with to begin with. That was mostly his fault. "Well that's no fucking surprise."

He heard her huff, fuck it was cute when she was angry. "Fine! You wanna know? It… the fortune teller. It's her fault! She told me you were my soulmate, and… and it can't be true right? I mean sure we can fight together, but a relationship between us just wouldn't work! Except she put it in my head and now… now I just can't stop thinking about it… And it's dumb… it's really dumb that I let this get to me!"

She had said it so fast he almost didn't hear it all. He'd definitely caught the important bits though. If she could see his face, which he doubted she could, she'd be able to see the shock written all over his features.

The fortune teller had told Uraraka he was her soulmate. That threw a wrench in his whole fucking idea that she was just guessing people's crushes. No way had Uraraka had a crush on him all along. Unless she didn't even know about it. She seemed like the type to be in denial. Still, he seriously doubted Uraraka had a crush on him before.

Especially considering she basically took a knife and stabbed him in the heart with the words, _"... but a relationship between us just wouldn't work!"_ Fuck that shit hurt worse than a blow to the head. He should know. He swallowed the lump in his throat. God dammit he hated this stupid fucking piece of shit bullshit situation he was in. She hated the idea of being with him so much that it had her acting like a fucking mess. He knew there was no way they'd ever get together, but did she have to say it out loud herself? Katsuki wanted to rip his own heart from his chest to make it stop aching.

"So?" He spoke through gritted teeth.

"S-so? What do you mean. 'So'?" She just stared at him.

 _Stop looking at me with those doe eyes when you're taking my heart and putting it through the shredder!_ He screamed in his head. He stepped closer so that she could see him in the moonlight, sliding his hands into his pockets to try and look like he wasn't falling apart. "Why the fuck should it matter what that phony said? I told all of you who went you were idiots for believing any of that shit. Besides, fuck destiny and fuck fate. You're the only one who chooses your future. Just like nobody is telling me- or you, that you can't be a hero. Because you can bet their fucking asses I'm going to be at the top of all the damn best heroes in the world. That scam artist fortune teller ain't telling you who your soulmate is, because that's for you to decide."

He was mostly saying it to himself than her.

He'd need to borrow Kirishima's punching bag.

And tape his own face to it.

"Now get your shit together, Uraraka, or I'll have to knock some sense into that pee-brain of yours." He groaned, turning his back to her. "And go to bed. It's the middle of the fucking night."

"R-right- um… thanks? Good night, Bakugo."

"Fuck off." He hoped his voice hadn't wavered just then. He was not going to cry over this shit. It was just a fucking crush. Now that she'd rejected him, he could get over it. That's how this shit worked right? He wasn't a fucking baby like Deku. He could hold himself together.

Despite this, his stomach was twisting all the way back to his dorms. He wanted to vomit. How could a girl, especially Uraraka, make him feel like this. Was it really her fault though? It was his fault for letting his guard down. He let her in by simply accepting her as someone who wasn't weak, who wasn't just a bystander in his story.

It was almost hilarious that he'd nearly invested just as much into what that fortune teller had to say as she had. Actually, he was still doing it. He was emotionally crushed, but his hope clung to one tiny thing.

The fortune teller couldn't have been a fake, because he'd seen how Uraraka had been looking at Deku there in that waiting room. Anyone with eyes and a brain cell could have picked up on her crush on Deku, including the fortune teller. So why on earth would she pick Katsuki for Uraraka's soulmate? It was possible she just wanted to fuck around and mess with Uraraka's head because she'd seen that Katsuki had a crush on her, which if that was the case she was successful.

So, as much as he was telling himself it was done, the last smidgen of a chance he might've thought he had was squished like a bug under a bus tire, he clung to the idea that maybe the fortune teller wasn't a fake. Which would mean, Uraraka was his soulmate. The idea made him so happy it broke his heart just a little bit more.

 _"... but a relationship between us just wouldn't work!"_

Dammit. Why couldn't he just take his own advice.

* * *

 **A/N: I know this part was a lot of repeating what happened in the first half, but I thought that it would leave more impact if we had King Explosion Murder's thoughts on everything that transpired. I made sure to include some new tidbits too just because I didn't want you guys to feel cheated with my repeating everything. Good news is, I've already started work on a multi chapter sequel to this. So don't lose hope yet for our OTP. It might be a while, because I want to at least get a couple chapters done before I share it with you all, but the outline is done. That's right. I know what happens already. Does that scare you? It should.**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading, and remember that reviews and feedback are always appreciated! I hope you enjoyed Fate Wrapped Around Our Little Fingers!**


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